Disability and Labor Inclusion: Experimental Evidence from Spain

Yanina Domenella () and Samuel Bentolila
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Yanina Domenella: Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, https://www.uam.es/

Working Papers from CEMFI

Abstract: People with intellectual and developmental disabilities (PID) show significantly lower labor force participation and employment rates compared to people without disabilities. Customized Employment (CE) has emerged as a promising approach to improve their labor market integration. This study provides the first causal evidence on CE’s effectiveness relative to the traditional Supported Employment approach through a randomized controlled trial in Spain. Our findings show that CE substantially improves employability by increasing employment probability, hours worked, and the number of labor contracts. It also enhances participation in training programs and internships. Beyond employment, CE significantly fosters social inclusion and well-being, with effects varying based on severity of disability, recognition of dependency, and family involvement. These results underscore CE’s potential as an effective strategy for improving both labor market outcomes and social integration of PIDs.

Keywords: Customized employment; supported employment; disability; labor market inclusion; social integration; field experiment; Spain. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C93 I31 I38 J14 J21 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025-11
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-eur, nep-exp and nep-lab
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:cmf:wpaper:wp2025_2528

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